Plateau Massacre: Nigerian Soldiers Capture 3 Suspects with 4 Rifles

Matilda Omonaiye/

Three suspected participants in Saturday massacre at 11 villages in Plateau State have been held by the Nigerian Army.

The suspects were paraded today alongside weapons allegedly seized from them.

Two of the suspects were identified as herdsmen and one Berom – one of the minority ethnic groups in Plateau who are currently at war with Fulani herdsmen over grazing rights.

They were arrested by the Special Military Task Force, “Operation Save Haven’’, which paraded them today in Jos alongside 14 others, who were arrested over the killings.

The three men were reportedly captured at Gashish District in the Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau.

Eleven villages in the Barkin Ladi Local Government Area and its environs were sacked by gunmen who set properties on fire at the weekend.

The STF spokesman, Maj. Umar Adams, told reporters at the parade that the suspects were caught with sophisticated rifles.

Adams said the suspects were arrested in the course of the attacks.

His words: “We all know that some days back, some villages in Barkin Ladi were attacked and these three suspects were arrested in connection with that.

“As our men were repelling the attacks in those areas we arrested these suspects with four rifles, three locally made guns and one AK47.

“The other 14 people were arrested in connection with civil unrest recently experienced in the state.”

Adams said that the suspects were still being investigated and that more arrests would be made in the course of time.

Meanwhile, the United Global Resolve for Peace (UGRFP), an NGO, says something urgent must be done to stop the spate of killings across the country.

Mr Pelumi Olajengbesi, the Group’s Executive Secretary, in a statement today in Abuja, prayed God to grant each affected home the fortitude to deal with such severe losses.

He said that the recent incident in Plateau State in which many lives were lost had similar tales in Zamfara, Yobe and Borno.

He said, “The nation wept as it does now, swore itself sore to the promise that never again would lives be wasted so cheaply without justice only for us to go round full circle in a matter of days to this.

“Something urgent must be done to address the continuous killing of innocent men and women nationwide.

“There is yet a nation to save and it is a collective duty of all to seek new ways to address the fatal challenge before us.

“While the nation continues to weep, and rightly so, for the many lives lost senselessly in the alleged herdsmen attack, may I extend my deep condolences to the families of those who lost their lives.’’

He called on the Federal Government to be more responsive to its duty of protecting lives and property.

The Police Command in Plateau had on Sunday confirmed the killing of 86 people in attacks on Razat, Ruku, Nyarr, Kura and Gana-Ropp villages of Gashish District in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of the state.

President Muhammadu Buhari condemned the attacks, describing the incident as “very painful and regrettable”, and warned that the government would not rest until the assailants were brought to justice.

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